CDC taps Lehigh expert for Ebola response

Peter Costa, the director of Health Advancement & Prevention Strategies at Lehigh, has been recruited by the Centers for Disease Control to aid in the federal organization’s national response to the Ebola crisis. Under the terms of their agreement through the Inter-government Personnel Act (IPA), Costa will direct two days a week to aid in training for health care workers and public education. Costa, who is one of only five college health professionals in the country selected for this role, will serve in this position through the end of the academic year.

As part of his role in the effort to fight Ebola, Costa will conference by phone with the CDC’s Healthcare Quality Promotion Staff to discuss strategies, communication and training. Costa will provide technical expertise on rolling out a national training plan for front-line health care workers and work with CDC partners, which may include federal and state agencies, non-profits, professional organizations and consumer groups. He is also expected to review training materials and resources.

Vice Provost of Student Affairs John Smeaton, who oversees Costa’s department, said that his selection for this role is a tribute to his expertise in the field of public health.

“He is an outstanding colleague who has forged solid working relationships with faculty and staff to advance health-related endeavors,” he said.

At Lehigh, Costa heads up the office that serves as a centralized unit for strategic and coordinated prevention activities that address priority student health issues while supporting student learning and development.

He previously served as director of education and outreach for the Global Alliance for Rabies Control, as a public health educator at the North Carolina Division of Public Health, and as a community health specialist at the Bethlehem Health Bureau.

Since Costa came to Lehigh in 2012, he’s reviewed health education and prevention efforts and retooled them to engage far more individuals and aligned programming and assessment with national standards. He has also created new programs that address top health concerns among college students: stress, depression, eating disorders, sleep difficulties, binge drinking and prescription drug abuse.

His efforts reflect a more holistic, comprehensive approach to student health that helps students recognize their personal health as a key component in realizing their full potential – both during their time at Lehigh and in their post-graduation lives.

Costa has worked directly with the faculty of Lehigh’s Health, Medicine and Society program to create a credit-bearing course for highly trained Peer Health Advisers, who help advance health and safety of fellow students by offering support and connections to resources and programming. Costa serves as an adjunct lecturer in the program.

This past academic year, students who went through the program earned two credits. In the Spring 2015 semester, students will earn four credits for the course. His office has also initiated the Red Watch Band training, a peer-based alcohol bystander intervention program that provides students with the knowledge, awareness and skills to recognize when a fellow student may be experiencing alcohol poisoning and may be in need of medical attention. Red Watch Band teaches students how to confidently handle alcohol emergencies and summon professional help through interactive discussion, skills training and dynamic role playing. It also familiarizes students with Lehigh’s Medical Amnesty Policy so that there is no hesitation in getting medical attention.

Story by Linda Harbrecht